It was 2010, and for the first time in the history of the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA), the World Cup was staged in Africa. The Cape Town Stadium was one of 5 built for this event. Located in Green Point, between Signal Hill and the Atlantic Ocean, it’s close to both the city centre and the popular tourist and shopping venue, the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront.

The old Green Point Stadium was demolished to make way for the new Cape Town Stadium. When it was completed, the stadium had a temporary seating capacity of 64,100 for the 2010 World Cup. This was later reduced to 58,309 with the space being repurposed with events suites and clubrooms. It has corporate hospitality suites, medical, training, and conferencing and banqueting facilities.

Designed as a soccer and rugby union stadium it has been the home ground of Premier Soccer League club Cape Town Spurs since 2010. Ajax Cape Town have used the stadium as their home ground from the 2010-11 Premier Soccer League (PSL) season onwards, and since 2016, Premier Soccer League club Cape Town City also plays here. It has hosted the South Africa Sevens rugby tournament since 2015.

From 2021 onwards, the franchise rugby team, Stormers and the Western Province Currie Cup side will call Cape Town Stadium home, and international rugby tests played in Cape Town will be featured here.

But it’s not just soccer and rugby. On 7 February 2020 an international tennis match was held. The singles were between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Federer’s mother was born in South Africa and the country is the focus of his charitable foundation. The doubles match was played between Roger Federer with Bill Gates versus Rafael Nadal and Trevor Noah, local stand-up comedian and host of USA TV show, ‘The Daily Show’. Federer and Gates won the match 6-4.

The stadium is also used in many local advertising and print media campaigns and has hosted many music concerts featuring stars such as Lady Gaga, U2, Justin Bieber, Mariah Carey, and Michael Bublé, to name a few.  It was also in the 2012 film, ‘Safe House’ featuring Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds.